Is Figueroa psych-rock? Electronic folk? How is there guitar with no guitarist? We have no idea.
The World As We Know It is an electronic album made in the absence of instruments. At the same time, it is a guitar/vocal album and entirely human. And so we have something of an anomaly.
Amon Tobin first recorded these songs during an isolated period in the woods of northern California. It was an exploratory process, much to do with learning about harmony and (relatively) traditional songwriting. A personal exorcism of sorts, he externalized an array of experiences and organized them into words.
At the time of writing what was to become Figueroa, Tobin had no particular ambitions for the work. Describing his singing voice as “a vague idea of what a voice might sound like,” the tracks remained personal as they sat in state for almost a decade after they were first scratched out in a cabin in the woods.
Eventually Amon sent the material to the legendary producer Sylvia Massy (Tool, Prince, Johnny Cash) hoping she might find someone who could perform the material. Sylvia was thrilled by the songs she heard. Rather than delegate them to polished musicians, she got on the next plane to LA and booked a session at the famous Capital Studios at Capitol Records in Hollywood for Amon to record the songs properly under her guidance. The result is The World As We Know It, an electronic album made in the absence of instruments. At the same time, it is a guitar/vocal album and entirely human. It is imperfect and beautiful. It is full of darkness and wonder. It’s surprising and confounding. Better sometimes to not ask questions and just listen to the music.
